Blood and Chocolate Turns 25

Elvis Costello's eleventh studio album, Blood and Chocolate, was released on this date 25 years ago. Noisy, edgy and relentless, it long ago earned a place among my favorite Costello discs. Produced by Nick Lowe (who had previously produced Costello's first five albums), the songs here contain a palpable tension that probably reflects the mood in the studio while it was being recorded.

In the liner notes for the 2002 Rhino reissue, Costello wrote, "The album was a pissed-off 32- year-old divorcé's version of the musical blueprint with which I had begun my recording career with The Attractions." At this point in time, his relationship with the Attractions was on the rocks and getting rockier. The tour that accompanied this release would be their last for quite some time.

All this drama resulted in one terrific record. One of the highlights is "I Want You," a blood-curdling tune about the dark underbelly of obsession. Even now, 25 years later, it brings the chills to the spine: